Laparoscopy

Laparoscopy is rarely used in the treatment of kidney stones. A stone may form in patients born with ureteropelvic junction obstruction, an abnormal narrowing of the ureter where it meets the kidney. Laparoscopic repair of the abnormality, involving surgical removal of the stone, is often performed in these patients. Laparoscopy may also be used to treat stones in a kidney that is no longer functioning. In this case, the entire kidney is removed.